I LOVE my beef jerky… Teryaki, good…. Pepper, good. What is not to like about the chewy flavorful deliciousness that is beef (buffalo, turkey, etc.) jerky. Well if you are going Paleo, you know there is one MAJOR dilema with typical jerky. SALT. And unfortunately, stores even like Trader Joe’s don’t carry and salt-free options. And before you ask, no, I have not tried places like Whole Foods or Mother’s Market yet.

Anyway, I decided I would get inspired by the Paleo Kits that are floating around the CrossFit gyms these days, and try making my own.

Let me tell you, it looks like jerky, it smells like jerky, but it tastes like bland dog food.

I REALLY need to work on this one. I’m trying to search around for a delicious, Paleo friendly recipe. If you have one that works, please let me know.

I’m not sure if I can overcome the smell that drying meat produces, but it’s worth another try.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

While cavemen did not have protein powder (whey protein to be specific), they also did not have a freezer to keep frozen fruit, and I also highly doubt they made almond milk…. none the less, this is a delicious smoothie that you can tweet a little everyday and it is super quick and easy to make!

I haven’t been measuring it for Zone-Paleo, so there are no exact amounts added.

Required ingredients: Scoop (or more) of vanilla protein powder and almond milk

Suggested Fruits: Strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, peaches pineapple.

I usually use frozen (generic storebrand) fruit unless I have some excess fresh fruit. The frozen fruit gives it the cold consistency of a shake (without adding ice cream of course!).

Other sugestions:

Remember pineapple is higher in sugar than other options, so keep it at a minimum. To be nicer to your blender, add just the strawberries (or the hardest/largest fruit) and blend until they have been pureed. Add the almond milk and protein power and remember to stir the powder in. If you forget this step, more powder will end up on the side of the blender than in the smoothie.

I like to not measure this recipe because it gives me a different outcome each day, and what’s not to like about that?

Anyway, I’m hoping to have some good stuff up soon. Some workouts, recipes, and challenges that I’m facing with both.

I’m sitting here (at work, oops) snacking on my homemade paleo fruit and nut bars dreaming (or worrying) about the upcoming summer months and the need to be in shape for bikini season!!!

Here is to a productive 2 months till summer season!! Memorial Day is just around the corner, are you ready?

WOD:

For time:

21 Hip-Back Extensions
Run 400 meters

18 Hip-Back Extensions
Run 400 meters

15 Hip-Back Extensions
Run 400 meters

12 Hip-Back Extensions
Run 400 meters

9 Hip-Back Extensions
Run 400 meters

6 Hip-Back Extensions
Run 400 meters

3 Hip-Back Extensions
Run 400 meters

Trust me, you get to the 3 extensions and just want to run an 800 before doing the three.

As you know, I’ve been sick lately, but life in general has gotten a little nuts.

I ended up going to the doctor last week to confirm what I already knew. No big deal. A little pain and a week of medicine and I’m mainly all good.

Work has been getting crazy too. Longer hours, more stress and not enough time in the day. That’s what happens in my line of work, projects come up at specific times and things can get a little out of hand. No doubt, beyond the fact that it is winter, I’m sure it contributed to why I was/am sick.

To top off the busy life, we are still working on the house. My weekends are consumed, any time I would spend relaxing and recharging is spent doing manual labor.

But on to the fun stuff. It turns out I am going to be training for the CrossFit Affiliate Games. I’m not sure what that means, but at least it gives me a goal to work towards for the next three months.

I’ll actually have a reason to lay off the sweets and snacks and train extra hard. Good timing for being in shape for the summer bikini months! I’ve probably mentioned it before, but goals or timelines are SOOOO crucial for helping you in your health and fitness endeavors.

It can be just about anything, going on a vacation, going to a wedding or reunion, seeing the dreaded ex or in my case, having a team depend on me at a certain point. I couldn’t ask for a better reason since I’ve been a “teammate” for most of my life.

There is my advice for the week. Find something that will motivate you, and remind yourself of it routinely.

3 Blocks

In a blender, combine:

• 1 Cup of Whole (Organic if possible) Milk
• 2 Tablespoons of Whey Protein Powder
• 1 Cup of Frozen Strawberries
• 1/2 Cup of Frozen Blueberries

Eat one scoop of cashews on the side.

Easy as that!! And it tastes good!

Just call me R.C. I’m a CrossFitter, have been for over a year and a half now. I was first introduced to CrossFit by a high school friend who wanted me to join them for a CrossFit workout. After looking at the website, I thought, damn, you have got to be crazy if you think I would ever do that crap!

Long story short, while working with a trainer in preparation for a “bikini mandatory” vacation, I wound up working out at a CrossFit gym…. TOTALLY on accident.

But here I am, I LOVE CrossFit, I BELIEVE in CrossFit and I DO CrossFit!!

Reluctant CrossFitter is more of a name than anything. I would be lying if I didn’t mention I complain, usually on a daily basis… thus the reluctant part. None the less, this site will be about all things CrossFit. Sample workouts, sample Zone and/or healthy recipes, fitness articles, info about equipment and a lot more.

When reading everything on this site, keep in mind that CrossFit is for ANYONE who wants to live a healthy and active lifestyle. According to the CrossFit main website, “The CrossFit program is designed for universal scalability making it the perfect application for any committed individual regardless of experience.”

Check things out and give it a try, there are CrossFit gyms all over the word, yes, quite literally the world. The bonus, most of them offer great intro programs!

■Your shins have more scrapes than a twelve year old boy.
■You know better than to say, “That looks easy”.
■You’ve spent HOURS watching videos of other people working out (who does that?).
■CrossFit t-shirts dominate your wardrobe.
■When you travel, your first concern is if there is a local affiliate close by.
■Refresh is your favorite button after 9pm.
■3 on 1 off takes priority in your schedule.
■The words Snatch and Jerk have lost there comedic value, but farting while deadlifting has not.
■There are days you have to talk yourself OUT of going to the gym because it’s a rest day and that means you are suppose to rest, right? You are confused at this and ask your coach if you can still go for a run. When they tell you rest means rest, still confused, you ask if that means you should do nothing or could you do…?
■You can relate to this sentence “I feel like a GD Navy Seal and an Olympic Gold Medalist wrapped in a F-ing suit of body armor”.
■You shave your hands.
■Pain is a relative term.
■You know what this stands for IWCABTAMD.
■You know the ten general skills by heart and can recite them at social gatherings.
■You have posted pictures of yourself working out on facebook.
■You believe in sweat angels.
■You’ve looked up the criteria for the Nobel peace prize to see if you can nominate Coach Glassman.
■Tape and chalk are at a premium.
■You used to bit your nails and now you pick at your calluses.
■Almond butter is the nectar of the Gods.
■You know that the benchmark WOD’s are named after real people and you would find it interesting to talk with some of them and find out WHY?
■You think in blocks not calories.
■Fat is delicious, you laugh at fat free.
■You don’t remember what it is like to have mirrors in your gym.
■You know that a 70%+ dark chocolate bar can sub as 3 blocks carbs.
■You must workout with loud obnoxious music, but never hear a word of it.
■You consider other CrossFitters family.
■You believe the world would be a better place if everyone was a CrossFitter.
■You go to dinner with CF people and non CF people and realize that all you can talk about is CF, my apologies to those that can’t understand.
■When you are struggling through a workout and your teammates are calling your name encouraging you to keep going and on another day when you have the priviledge of doing the same for them

As a competitive athlete during my school years, I relied on practices and team workouts to keep in shape. I was lucky enough to be blessed with a semi-reasonable metabolism so I never really had to worry about my food intake because it balanced out with my activity level. I assumed that since I was always athletic, I would be fine after college. Boy was I wrong. Caught up in my new post-college life, and a lack of someone dragging me to a gym, I found myself 20 lbs heavier in no time at all. A harsh harsh reality for someone who had always been in shape.

I finally made the decision to sign up for 24 HR, I occasionally went with friends and co-workers, but that probably lasted about 3-4 weeks. I had 5 “free” private training sessions from signing up, which were going well until I my trainer (a girl my age) went out with my friends and me and started buying shots. Obviously her power in the gym was no longer effective. Five free sessions gone and no motivation left, I had nothing.

Then something interesting… Quit my job, quit my boyfriend, freed up my schedule, planned a trip to a tropical location. Can we say bikini?!? Here I was, overweight (by my standards) and having to be in a bathing suit in front of the general public… now to me, that was enough.

After a couple months with a real personal trainer, I found an even better, more affordable option.

Ever heard of CrossFit?? No? Maybe? Yes? However you answered doesn’t really matter. You may end up thinking I’m crazy (I am, so I’m ok with that assumption), you may be curious, or my may already be “one of us.” Yes, drink the Crossfit Koo-laid!

CrossFit is the new workout craze that is taking over the world, yes the world. People are slowly learning the benefits of this type of gym and workout. In reality, it has been around for years, but it has seen slow but steady growth, due in large part to its local nature.

CrossFit gyms are no 24 Hour Fitness. You will not find rows or treadmills or stationary bikes, in fact, some won’t even have any of those semi-pointless objects. What you will find are pull up bars, rowing machines, kettlebells, boxes, free weights and GHD machines (which I affectionately refer to as the torture machine).

I have read that CrossFit is a combination of Boot Camp, Gymnastics and Cardio. I am not sure how that is supposed to describe CrossFit to someone, but there it is. You may get frustrated with me right now, because I am not going to be able to explain the true benefits nor the real feel of this type of workout to you. It is something that you need to experience for yourself. And while we are on the subject, you have to promise me that you will give it a full month before you make your final decision. You will hurt like hell the first few weeks, and I am sure you will want to quit on several occasions. But think about this… CrossFiters have noticed an improvement in their personal and professional lives outside of the gym. Apparently a lot of people have gotten promotions and better sex drives…? Is it weird that those two things stuck in my head? Yeah, I thought so.

What it will offer you and who should try it?

If you want to lose weight, tone up, have energy, be able to keep up with your friends or kids, get in shape for ANY sport, become a personal trainer, extend your life, or just have fun, CrossFit is for YOU! CrossFits are like a little family. The family that yells at you when you miss a day, yells at you when you try to cheat (you’re really only cheating yourself you know), but supports you unconditionally when you feel like you are about to die.

I have a love hate relationship with CrossFit as does everyone. I laugh more during my workouts than anywhere else. My closest friends are CrossFitters. My body is in better shape and I feel more physically capable than when I was in sports. But man does it hurt sometimes. I don’t even know what it feels like to not have at least one body part be sore.

You will get a whole body, cardio heavy workout in a matter of minutes. In fact, some of the workouts are only 5 minutes long. Some are an hour. You never know, and the benefit is that your body never gets used to it. You have to leave it, and you guessing.

P.S. Don’t worry ladies, you won’t bulk up if you do CrossFit! You will just have a much more toned and proportional body!

P.P.S. Many CrossFitters adopt the Zone diet to help maintain your energy levels, but let’s take it one step at a time shall we?

(BTW, this post was written for my other blog, Book of Randomness, which you should check out!)